Original Artwork Jason Jimenez-Garrido
On Oct. 5, the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Universe saw the return of the iconic “Bad Blood” Premium Live Event (PLE), which took place in Atlanta, GA. We are now over a week removed from the event and after everything that went down, there is much to be excited about.
Motor City Machine Guns to SmackDown
Previously, I discussed the rumored signing of the Motor City Machine Guns (MCMG). I talked about why this signing is a big deal, not only for the WWE roster, but the overall landscape of professional wrestling.
On Oct. 4, WWE began to air a cryptic ad that teased a new tag-team coming to “SmackDown.” The WWE aired another ad during the Bad Blood PLE, which offered hints that it was the MCMG.
The ads featured stock footage of monuments located in Detroit, MI, which made fans speculate that these ads were hinting at an imminent debut of Michigan natives Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin.
These predictions were proven right on Oct. 11, when the WWE featured another ad that flashed the words “MCMG Next Week” at the end. Therefore, we now know that the MCMG will be making their debut on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown.
Whether they’ll be involved in a match or just an appearance is still unclear, however it’s likely that they’ll be the mystery tag-team that SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis appointed to face Los Garza this week.
Kevin Owens betrays his “friends”
The biggest story from Bad Blood was not shown on camera.
Though cameras stopped rolling after the surprise return at the end of the PLE, the show was not over for those leaving the arena. After the show, fans began to spread footage of Kevin Owens attacking Cody Rhodes outside of his trailer.
Owens addressed his actions on Friday, saying “People are asking me why I turned on Cody Rhodes. Cody Rhodes turned on ME. People think I’m in the wrong for this?”
Owens felt betrayed by Rhodes for teaming up with Reigns, with whom both previously had issues.
This led to Rhodes storming out into the ring to fight Owens, though both were stopped by WWE officials and Randy Orton, who tried to calm things down. In the midst of the scuffle, Owens hit Orton with an elbow, to which he received a punch in response.
Owens walked out of the arena, seeming regretful for what he had done to his tag-team partner. However, later on we learned that this wasn’t the case, as he attacked Orton backstage, yelling, “Wanna pick sides huh? You picked the wrong side!”
How Orton will respond is yet to be seen. Though we can be sure Owens will regret striking “The Viper” behind his back.
The Rock returns
The biggest surprise was none other than the return of “The Final Boss” The Rock.
Before the PLE, there were constant discussions online about whether the “Hell in a Cell match” between Drew McIntyre and CM Punk, or the “tag-team match” between Jacob Fatu & Solo Sikoa, and Rhodes & Roman Reigns would get the main event spot on the match card.
As the history of pro-wrestling shows, any match with a potential surprise in store will usually receive the main event. Therefore, fans speculated that this would be the case when it was announced that the tag-team match would be main eventing.
Once again, fans were right, as Rhodes and Reigns’ victory celebration was interrupted when The Rock’s theme music began to play. This shocked both fans, who jumped on their feet, and the talent at ringside.
Rock walked out and stared down his cousins Jimmy Uso and Reigns, as well as Rhodes, who were standing in the ring.
Rock’s last appearance was on April 8 on the episode of “RAW” after “WrestleMania”, in which he confronted Rhodes. He issued a warning to Rhodes, saying that he was going away for a while, but that he’d be coming for him when he returned.
Things have changed since then, as Uso and Reigns are no longer part of “The Bloodline”, which is now ruled by Sikoa. The biggest change though, is that the former bitter enemies, Reigns and Rhodes have had no choice but to team up to take down the new Bloodline.
It is unknown where Rock now fits into this storyline or what his next move will be. However, having The Final Boss back in the WWE is enough reason to be excited for the future.